MCC Senior Wins Honorable Mention at National Hackathon

MCC senior Khalifa Niasse represented NYU at the 2015 Journalism School Hackathon co-hosted by PBS Media Shift and Arizona State University's Walter Cronkite School of Journalism. Khalifa, who was nominated by his MCC advisors, secured a scholarship from Media Shift to attend the weekend event, which attracted college students from 19 schools around the country.

The theme of the 2015 media hackathon was reaching underserved and diverse audiences. Khalifa and his teammates developed an idea for an online cultural training module for journalists engaging with Native American communities. The President of the Native American Journalists Association (NAJA) conveyed her enthusiasm for the project, telling Khalifa that it was an idea NAJA would love to implement. The project was recognized with an honorable mention.

Khalifa was born in NYC, but spent part of his childhood in Senegal, where much of his family still lives. Asked what he envisions after graduation, Khalifa says he is passionate about helping students navigate Higher Ed. In particular, he wants to assist students enrolled at community colleges, who dream of transferring to four-year schools. Khalifa, who is himself a transfer student, serves on the NYU Student Transfer Association Executive Board.